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VAC Trust and Emergency Funds

Veterans Affairs Canada receives generous donations and bequests from private individuals which are established as trust funds that the Department administers to assist Veterans and their families in need. The Emergency Trust Fund is one of these trust funds.

When an individual or an organization gives money in trust to VAC, that individual/organization can determine how the money is to be used. Some set more strict eligibility criteria, dollar value, and administrative requirements than others.

The Emergency Trust Fund is one fund that has less restrictive eligibility than some of the others and therefore is more easily accessible for VAC to use in emergency situations for our Veterans. As such, it can be used to address immediate and short term needs.

In recent years, given VAC's focus on outreach and the work of our partners, more Veterans are being identified and the Emergency Trust Fund has been helpful in providing assistance. Some examples of partnerships to address Veteran homelessness include Leave the Streets Behind with the Royal Canadian Legion, which connects homeless Veterans to assistance available from a variety of sources; the At-Risk Veterans Outreach Initiative with VETS Canada which provides 24/7 boots on the ground outreach and support; and several local partnerships across Canada.

It is important to note that VAC and its partners have other mechanisms, including other trust funds, in place to support Veterans in need. These trust funds are administered independently of the programs, services and benefits that Veterans Affairs provides to Veterans, RCMP members and their families under its legislation.

The Department continues to support the urgent needs of Veterans in crisis through its regular programs, benefits and services, as well as other available Trust Funds, mechanisms and partnerships.